Oh hi there :smallbiggrin:
so, one of my players was building a 'last stand' kind of guy who was all about making dramatic plays/sacrifices, so i made up this feat to suit his character.

Avenging Blow

'I'm taking you with me!'

Prerequisite
Cha 11, Base attack bonus +1

Benefit
When you are reduced below 0 hit points by an adjacent attacker, you can make a single melee attack directed at your attacker as an immediate action. If this attack hits your target, you immediately stabilize and recover an amount of hit points equal to your Charisma modifier. If this recovery brings you back to positive hit points, you are conscious again, although prone.

Special
This feat is usable once per encounter.

Is this feat balanced/viable? Does it need follow-up feats? more prerequisites? Let the Playground decide!

Zweisteine

2013-06-15, 02:45 PM

It seems pretty good to me, but the prerequisites seem a bit odd.
I think it would make far more sense to be based on Constitution, not Charisma, and require 13 or 14, rather than 11.
It could also require Combat Reflexes and count as an attack of opportunity when used. Diehard might also be a good prerequisite, but that could remove some of the flavor behind the feat. But then, Diehard also adds the prereq of Endurance, at that seems to be going too far.
It might also be a good idea to have a base Fortitude save prerequisite., rather than attack bonus.

I also think it should have a limited number of uses per day, rather than encounter. Perhaps once per day, or 1/2 Constitution modifier uses per day.

And an extra bonus for critical hits would be cool too. If you want it to be more dramatic, there could be an extra effect (automatic critical) if you hit and die anyway.

Overall review: It's a bit light on prerequisites, and charisma doesn't sem appropriate for this feat. It can be very powerful at low levels in dangerous situations, but loses its value higher up as the amount of HP regained is not enough to save you.

With my edits:
Avenging Blow

Prerequisite
Con 13, Base fortitude save +3, Combat Reflexes

Benefit
A number of times per day equal to one half of your constitution modifier (minimum 1), when a melee attack from an attacker within your reach would reduce your hit points to below 0, you may make a single melee attack at your full base attack bonus directed at the attacker as an immediate action that counts as an attack of opportunity. If this attack hits your target, you immediately stabilize and recover a number of hit points equal to your Constitution modifier. If this recovery brings your hit points above 0, you are conscious and prone. If the recovery is not enough to bring your hit points above -10, you still die.

Special: A fighter may choose Avenging Blow as one of his fighter bonus feats.

Spiryt

2013-06-15, 03:00 PM

Seems rather unassuming,very minor healing, though can save life...

I think it needs clarifying on that 'single attack' - at what kind of attack bonus, etc.

Probably also stating what happens when you're reduced to -10 or whatever number that makes you automatically dead.

Combat Reflexes

2013-06-15, 03:20 PM

It seems pretty good to me, but the prerequisites seem a bit odd.

Making the prerequisites/health regain Con modifier makes sense actually. I originally based it off Cha because charisma stands for force of personality and willpower (in our group; charisma is willpower), and making the final strike has more to do with willpower and determination than how much of a tough guy you are.

I think i'll use your version due to it being better worded. Thanks :smalltongue:

Bickerstaff

2013-06-15, 03:27 PM

Instead of regaining health equal to your Con modifier, why not gain temporary hitpoints equal to your Con score that last for a couple rounds or something?

Zweisteine

2013-06-15, 03:38 PM

Making the prerequisites/health regain Con modifier makes sense actually. I originally based it off Cha because charisma stands for force of personality and willpower (in our group; charisma is willpower), and making the final strike has more to do with willpower and determination than how much of a tough guy you are. :

But for most, Charisma is force of personality, the Will save (and, by extension, wisdom) is willpower, and Constitution is physical endurance

It makes little sense, crunch-wise, for a final strike to be based on willpower anyway. While it makes sense as a "I'll take you with me!" sort of effect, it actually makes more sense to base something like this on constitution because it is a physical effort, especially the healing (not to mention that in flavor alone, "I'll take you down with me" shouldn't be healing...).

Consider it akin to the save against massive damage. You are resisting a massive blow to make a final attack. No matter how forceful your mind is, you can not survive your body failing without great physical resilience. Sure it would work in pure fluff, but in the context of an actual combat, willpower alone is not enough. Especially if it is only average, as 11 is.

TuggyNE

2013-06-15, 11:37 PM

I'm going to offer a suggestion for an alternate path for this feat idea: make the avenging blow deal extra damage, but don't regain any HP. That way it really is a last-gasp effort to bring down your foe. (It would also remove the need for the 1/encounter tag.)

Double damage might actually be appropriate in this case.

Hanuman

2013-06-16, 04:25 AM

Good feat, good fluff, good crunch, bad scaling.

When you are reduced to 0HP or below by an enemy within your weapon's threat range you may make a basic attack against your attacker as an immediate action and become staggered for one round. If this attack hits you gain 2 Hitpoints per HD you possess, any hitpoints that bring you above 1HP in this way count as temporary hitpoints and last a number of rounds equal to your con modifier.

This feat can be used only once per encounter.

This is kind of where I'd put it, feel free to draw advice, at least on how to scale it so it isn't frontloaded at level 1 and then a waste of a feat afterwards.